Tony Bertuca

Tony Bertuca is chief editor of Inside the Pentagon, the flagship publication of InsideDefense, where he focuses on defense budget and acquisition policy. He previously worked for the Sun-Times News Group in his hometown of Chicago, IL, and at the New Hampshire Union Leader in Manchester, NH. Tony has also served as managing editor of Inside the Army. He has a master's degree in journalism from Boston University.

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Daily News | March 5, 2019

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) tried today to be more supportive of acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan than he has been in the past, but said he wishes former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis would return to the Pentagon.

Daily News | March 5, 2019

The Defense Department is signaling it may break with decades of precedent and reprogram $2.5 billion to build President Trump's wall on the southern border without the approval of Congress, a move lawmakers say could imperil billions in annual budgetary flexibility granted to the Pentagon.

The Insider | March 4, 2019

Some of the U.S. military's top combatant commanders are scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill this week, while major defense companies report quarterly earnings.

Daily News | March 1, 2019

Senior defense officials today revealed new details about the Trump administration's proposal for a new Space Force that will operate within the Air Force, acknowledging that plans for consolidating all "national-level" space assets currently managed by other military services could prove challenging in the future.

Daily News | February 27, 2019

Pentagon officials told lawmakers today they will soon provide Congress with a state-by-state list of military construction projects slated to be deferred so $3.6 billion can be tapped to build a wall on the southern border.

Daily News | February 25, 2019

For the first time publicly, the Trump administration is confirming its plans to request from Congress a massive increase in Overseas Contingency Operations funds, a strategy to beat mandatory budget caps that has shocked lawmakers and analysts. (UPDATED)

The Insider | February 25, 2019

Congress returns to work this week and senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to appear around the Washington area.

Daily News | February 22, 2019

Pentagon officials' evasive posture on whether they will seek congressional approval before reprogramming $2.5 billion toward construction of a wall on the southwestern border is creating concern on Capitol Hill, where some worry that a “gentleman's agreement” governing the budget process is about to be broken.

Daily News | February 22, 2019

Part of President Trump's plan to use Defense Department funds to construct a wall on the southwestern border is likely to require congressional approval, meaning Democrats would have the power to block it at the committee level.

Daily News | February 15, 2019

Democrats in Congress say they are eager to learn which military construction projects will go unfunded so President Trump can divert $3.6 billion to build a wall on the southwestern border following his declaration of a national emergency.

Daily News | February 15, 2019

President Trump declared a national emergency today to use $3.6 billion in Defense Department military construction funds to build a wall on the southwestern border. Additionally, he will seek to reprogram $2.5 billion to DOD's drug interdiction account from other unidentified Pentagon sources.

The Insider | February 14, 2019

President Trump will sign a congressional budget deal to avert another partial government shutdown, but will also declare a national emergency to fund construction of a wall on the southwestern border, according to a statement from the White House.

Daily News | February 14, 2019

The Defense Department's base budget would have to reach $735 billion by 2033 -- an 11 percent increase from the topline projected for 2023 -- if it is to cover the spending plan the Pentagon envisions, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Daily News | February 13, 2019

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said this week he would back the Pentagon if it submitted a budget requesting a massively inflated warfighting account intended to skirt statutory spending caps, but his Democratic counterpart Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) opposes the move on the grounds that it is a "dramatic retreat . . . from common sense and good government."

Daily News | February 12, 2019

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said today he has talked with President Trump about nominating a new defense secretary to succeed Jim Mattis, voicing concern that acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan lacks the "humility" of his predecessor and is unable to muster the full force of his office because of his "temporary" status.

The Insider | February 11, 2019

Lawmakers must work this week to avert another partial government shutdown when a stopgap continuing resolution expires on Friday. Meanwhile, senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak around the Washington area.

The Insider | February 8, 2019

The Defense Department is preparing to ask Congress for an increase of more than $100 billion in its controversial warfighting account to skirt a mandatory budget cap, but some government officials are worried it will only further the account's appearance as a slush fund.

Daily News | February 7, 2019

The Defense Department is preparing to ask Congress for an increase of more than $100 billion in its controversial warfighting account to skirt a mandatory budget cap, but some government officials are worried it will only further the account's appearance as a slush fund.

The Insider | February 6, 2019

One day after the top American commander in the Middle East told Congress he was not consulted before President Trump announced his decision to begin pulling U.S. troops out of Syria, the Pentagon's top civilian in charge of special operations has told lawmakers that former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was right to oppose Trump's planned withdrawal.

The Insider | February 5, 2019

President Trump during his State of the Union address tonight announced new efforts to conclude U.S. military operations in the Middle East, but provided few details.

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